16 Ways to Fake a Clean Home — Fast

Go from cluttered mess to ordered bliss in minutes

Need to clean up in a hurry? Whether you're expecting guests, the guests just left, or you want to at least pretend that yours is a life of clean and ordered bliss, pick a task, any task, for quick tips to fix your place up fast.

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Master Bathroom

Master Bathroom

With its jumble of makeup, medicines, towels, and more, your bathroom hardly inspires a relaxing get-ready routine. To streamline supplies, start with a deep clean: Shed expired and unused items as well as bulky packaging (instead, store products in easy-in-and-out jars, bags, and baskets). Leave everyday essentials — hand soap, toothbrushes — on the counter. Outfit cabinets with handy holders: a back-of-the-door rack for hair tools and a lazy Susan to bring bottles to the front.

Andrew McCaul

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2. Put the Living Room in Order

2. Put the Living Room in Order

Run a microfiber cloth over the coffee table and other dusty surfaces, like the TV screen. Pile magazines or books into neat stacks on the end tables; gather all of the stray remotes in one place. Plump up throw pillows and chair cushions (even easier: flip the latter, if possible). Use a clean corner of the microfiber cloth to nab any obvious clumps of pet hair or dust stuck to upholstery or carpeting. Drape throws to hide dingy chair arms or furniture stains.

Master Bathroom

With its jumble of makeup, medicines, towels, and more, your bathroom hardly inspires a relaxing get-ready routine. To streamline supplies, start with a deep clean: Shed expired and unused items as well as bulky packaging (instead, store products in easy-in-and-out jars, bags, and baskets). Leave everyday essentials — hand soap, toothbrushes — on the counter. Outfit cabinets with handy holders: a back-of-the-door rack for hair tools and a lazy Susan to bring bottles to the front.

Andrew McCaul

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2. Put the Living Room in Order

Run a microfiber cloth over the coffee table and other dusty surfaces, like the TV screen. Pile magazines or books into neat stacks on the end tables; gather all of the stray remotes in one place. Plump up throw pillows and chair cushions (even easier: flip the latter, if possible). Use a clean corner of the microfiber cloth to nab any obvious clumps of pet hair or dust stuck to upholstery or carpeting. Drape throws to hide dingy chair arms or furniture stains.

Kate Mathis

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3. Speed-Clean the Mudroom

Dry dirt is easier to remove than sticky mud, so don't even bother cleaning until the footprints get crusty; then just open the back door and sweep it all out. Wash the floor the fast, no-bucket-necessary way, with either a water-dampened microfiber mop or an all-in-one mopping system like Swiffer WetJet. Zap any scuff marks as you go with a bit of baking soda on a damp sponge.

Andrew McCaul

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4. Think Sink

Stop pretending you're going to rinse those dishes piling up on the counter, and load them in the dishwasher (or if not, at least stack them neatly in the sink). Run some water over drippy detergent bottles, then stick those, pot scrubbers, and rubber gloves under the sink.

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Cleaning an oven

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6. De-hair the Chairs

Don't waste your time with a lint roller. Instead, don a pair of clean rubber gloves. Run your hands over the arms, seat, and back of the furniture, gathering and tossing the fur as it balls up. For water-safe upholstery (which doesn't change or transfer color when blotted with a damp cloth in a hidden spot), wet the gloves for better pickup.

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7. Overhaul the Front Hall

Grab a laundry basket, storage bin, or large shopping bag to serve as a junk receptacle, plus a plastic grocery bag and microfiber cloth. Load up your bin with any shoes, gloves, or hats that litter the foyer. Stash hall-table clutter that could get lost (mail, keys) in the plastic bag; put the bag into the bin. While you're near the door, shake doormats outside. Drop off the bin in the laundry room or a nearby bedroom, or hide it in a closet.

Burcu Avsar

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Stack Smart

If at all possible, don't nest your frequently used cookware — you'll waste time sifting through for the right size and wind up with scratches and dents. If you just don't have enough space to unstack, protect pots with paper plates nestled between them. Don't skip this tip: Usually used to cushion glassware, rubberized shelf liners (such as the Container Store's $3-a-roll Easy Liner) can protect pots, pans, servers, and more from damage — and your nerves from noise. Cooper-Core 6-qt. sauté pan, $390, 3-qt. sauté pan, $315, and 3-qt. saucepan, $310, All-Clad; Macy's, macys.com.

Andrew McCaul

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Home-Office Overhaul

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10. Fireplace Fix

After the ash is completely cold, sprinkle it with damp tea leaves or coffee grounds to cover the stale smell and keep down dust (so you don't inhale it). Then scoop the pile with a fireplace shovel (don't worry if you can't get it all — leaving an inch or two behind is fine), and dump it into a metal can, bucket, or even an old stockpot or clay flowerpot. Discard the mess outside, ideally in a metal trash container, but definitely away from your house.